At the end of the year, WordPress sent me a summary of my year. Sort of a year in review for the writer. How many visitors, which posts were the most viewed, et cetera. They invite you to share the information with your readers. At first, I thought, “How Silly. That is like Justin Bieber releasing a Greatest Hits.” After all, I’ve only just begun (I hope you heard Karen Carpenter just then). But then I looked at my top five posts from the year and I thought, “Yes, that is a pretty good cross-section of what I have done.” So I am sharing it with a little back story. Think of it as a pathetic version of Storytellers. Cheers!

Don’t you love new friends? Especially those that share your affinity for all things Gosling? And can make you laugh out loud with a text? And inspire silly posts? Me too. It is no wonder this got a lot of views. He’s impossible to resist.

I was due to write a new post, but it was September 11th, and I could not write about anything but. I asked a group of ladies that write about wine if it was okay to venture outside that box. With their encouragement, I did so. This is my tribute to a dear, dear friend.

The first piece of writing I ever put out publicly was a 3rd place poem for a poetry contest at Gundlach Bundschu. The second piece took first. It was their encouragement that inspired me to write. This was a post in which I “shared” the 1997 Cab Franc I received as a prize with my readers.

I have loved, loved, loved getting involved in the Texas wine scene. So many great things being produced, so many great people, and still so much to learn. Thank you for welcoming me in and for your generous spirits. This is a piece on a local winery that I grow more fond of with each visit.

So, there you have it. A little personal stuff, a little humor, a lot of wine. Some paired, some shared. Yes, this is a blog about wine, but it is really so much more to me. Thank you for reading and giving me a place to share, to grow, to learn.

Two friends. Two everyday locations. Two sightings of Ryan Gosling in two days. Posted too late for me to stalk. I know, I know. Generally, I am not starstruck. I think about how I would like people to respond to me if I were just trying to grab some breakfast or do some shopping. I play it cool even through the thrill of recognition. If the opportunity arises, I interact as I would with any stranger. But I have a feeling that a Gosling sighting might lead to a rapid descent into giggling school-girl.

It did lead to a hilarious game of “Hey, Girl” from the perspective of a mom of young children. The conversation began with joking about how we could have our kids “run away” right into him. He’d say, “Hey Girl, cute kids.” Our eyes would meet and he’d throw Eva to the wind. And since we were already in dream land, we continued with the fantasy. I invite you to play along. Or if you have gotten this far and you are a married male, you’re welcome for the tips.

“Hey Girl, you look so sexy in the yoga pants with a smear of Mac and Cheese.”

“Hey Girl, is that Day 2 or Day 3 hair you got goin’ on?”

“Hey Girl, those stretch marks are just souvenirs, signs of the strength of your body.”

“Hey Girl, don’t get up, I’ve got the dishes. Then I’ll give you a massage.”

Had to get wine in there somewhere, right? Play along. What would Mr. G say to you? And when you read this, Ryan, which I know you will since you read everything written about you, I am right here in Austin and I’d be happy to take you to the hotspots in town. I know where they have the best playgrounds and children’s menus. Bet Eva can’t say that.